Chapter 18.—The Christian Orator
is Constantly Dealing with Great Matters.

35. Now the author I have quoted
could have exemplified these three directions, as laid down by
himself, in regard to legal questions: he could not, however,
have done so in regard to ecclesiastical questions,—the only ones
that an address such as I wish to give shape to is concerned
with. For of legal questions those are called small which have
reference to pecuniary transactions; those great where a matter
relating to man’s life or liberty comes up. Cases, again, which
have to do with neither of these, and where the intention is not to
get the hearer to do, or to pronounce judgment upon anything, but
only to give him pleasure, occupy as it were a middle place between
the former two, and are on that account called middling, or
moderate. For moderate things get their name from modus (a
measure); and it is an abuse, not a proper use of the word
moderate, to put it for little. In questions like
ours, however, where all things, and especially those addressed to
the people from the place of authority, ought to have reference to
men’s salvation, and that not their temporal but their eternal
salvation, and where also the thing to be guarded against is
eternal ruin, everything that we say is important; so much so, that
even what the preacher says about pecuniary matters, whether it
have reference to loss or gain, whether the amount be great or
small, should not seem unimportant. For justice is never
unimportant, and justice ought assuredly to be observed, even in
small affairs of money, as our Lord says: “He that is faithful
in that which is least, is faithful also in much.”19721972Luke xvi. 10. That
which is least, then, is very little; but to be faithful in that
which is least is great. For as the nature of the circle, viz.,
that all lines drawn from the centre to the circumference are
equal, is the same in a great disk that it is in the smallest coin;
so the greatness of justice is in no degree lessened, though the
matters to which justice is applied be small.

36. And when the apostle spoke
about trials in regard to secular affairs (and what were these but
matters of money?), he says: “Dare any of you, having a matter
against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the
saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and
if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the
smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how
much more things that pertain to this life? If, then, ye have
judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who
are least esteemed in the Church. I speak to your shame. Is it
so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall
be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goeth to law
with brother, and that before the unbelievers. Now therefore
there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with
another: why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather
suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud,
and that your brethren. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall
not inherit the kingdom of God?”197319731 Cor. vi. 1–9. Why is it that the apostle is so
indignant, and that he thus accuses, and upbraids, and chides, and
threatens? Why is it that the changes in his tone, so frequent
and so abrupt, testify to the depth of his emotion? Why is it, in
fine, that he speaks in a tone so exalted about matters so very
trifling? Did secular matters deserve so much at his hands? God
forbid. No; but all this is done for the sake of justice,
charity, and piety, which in the judgment of every sober mind are
great, even when applied to matters the very least.

37. Of course, if we were giving
men ad
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vice as to how they ought to conduct secular cases,
either for themselves or for their connections, before the church
courts, we would rightly advise them to conduct them quietly as
matters of little moment. But we are treating of the manner of
speech of the man who is to be a teacher of the truths which
deliver us from eternal misery and bring us to eternal happiness;
and wherever these truths are spoken of, whether in public or
private, whether to one or many, whether to friends or enemies,
whether in a continuous discourse or in conversation, whether in
tracts, or in books, or in letters long or short, they are of great
importance. Unless indeed we are prepared to say that, because a
cup of cold water is a very trifling and common thing, the saying
of our Lord that he who gives a cup of cold water to one of His
disciples shall in no wise lose his reward,19741974Matt. x. 42. is very trivial and unimportant.
Or that when a preacher takes this saying as his text, he should
think his subject very unimportant, and therefore speak without
either eloquence or power, but in a subdued and humble style. Is
it not the case that when we happen to speak on this subject to the
people, and the presence of God is with us, so that what we say is
not altogether unworthy of the subject, a tongue of fire springs up
out of that cold water which inflames even the cold hearts of men
with a zeal for doing works of mercy in hope of an eternal
reward?